Remaking door cards

[DonkeyApple]

Fibreboard was seemingly the most popular material in the past for basic door cards and many trimmers now use mdf but both still take up moisture eventually and start to curl etc.

I pondered using HDPE but no glue is going to stick to it.

Can anyone suggest an appropriate modern material that has been used to good effect?

Thanks.

[Riley Blue]

A few years ago I made replacement door cards for my Riley using oil tempered hardboard which is moisture resistant. This is the stuff though not who I bought from: http://www.chilterntimber.co.uk/product/hardboard-...

I also bought some garden grade polythene sheet and made membranes for each door which I stuck in place with double sided tape before fitting the cards.

[mgtony]

Foamex/Forex/Foamalux is a rigid dense board used for signs and graphics (not foam core!). Can be easily cut with a knife and glued or stapled to. You can get it in many thicknesses, I used some 3mm to make these C pillar liners and footwell panels.

[DonkeyApple]

Riley Blue said:

A few years ago I made replacement door cards for my Riley using oil tempered hardboard which is moisture resistant. This is the stuff though not who I bought from: http://www.chilterntimber.co.uk/product/hardboard-...

I also bought some garden grade polythene sheet and made membranes for each door which I stuck in place with double sided tape before fitting the cards.

Thanks. I think this is what the trimmer currently uses but the door cards don’t seem to last long before showing signs of age. But I’ll check with them to make sure as it would be the easiest alternative.

[DonkeyApple]

mgtony said:

Foamex/Forex/Foamalux is a rigid dense board used for signs and graphics (not foam core!). Can be easily cut with a knife and glued or stapled to. You can get it in many thicknesses, I used some 3mm to make these C pillar liners and footwell panels.

Thanks. I think I know the material. Is it as tough as hardboard as the trim panels on the old Range Rover mostly protrude and the edges can get knocked. Also, is it dense enough and strong enough to hold the plugs or will they just pull out when you try to remove the panel?

[mgtony]

It probably doesn't take too well to being knocked on its edges. The Forex branded stuff always used to to be pretty solid and dense, newer cheaper stuff is soft and dug with a fingernail but useful when you need a bit of flexibility for a slight curve as in those C pillars I done.

[steveo3002]

couple of coats of varnish on the hardboard first? if you have plastic over the inside of the door it shouldnt be getting that damp

[No ideas for a name]

steveo3002 said:

couple of coats of varnish on the hardboard first? if you have plastic over the inside of the door it shouldnt be getting that damp

Glad you posted that... I was holding my tongue as I wondered if my solution was actually any good.

I have made up door cards for my Mk2 Jag from hardboard, which I then coated in well thinned varnish. I makes the board harder, and doesn't go fuzzy around the edges after cutting/drilling.
Mine have sat, cut to shape and drilled but uncovered in a damp(ish) garage for a couple of years whilst I get on with the bodywork. No evidence of any degradation at all so far.

[P5BNij]

mgtony said:

Foamex/Forex/Foamalux is a rigid dense board used for signs and graphics (not foam core!). Can be easily cut with a knife and glued or stapled to. You can get it in many thicknesses, I used some 3mm to make these C pillar liners and footwell panels.

Thanks for that - is it reasonably flexible..?

Nice work on the diamond quilted covering by the way

[mgtony]

Thanks. Ordered a metre of quilted fabric and got almost a metre and a half as it must have been the end of a roll, enough to do 2 'C' pillars, 2 footwell panels and the tunnel. Panels were from off-cuts, whole thing stood me in the price of the fabric, £9.99

The board stuff is pretty flexible and will hold a nice curve, more so than hardboard. Can be heated and bent as well. Have a Google of 'Foam PVC'. Plenty of info and videos on there.

Also bought a Tacwise stapler kit with type 53 staples which will take a 4mm staple. Once you have a thick covering,bit of padding or a couple of folds the 4mm staples are ok. Straight on the 3mm board with only a fabric cover, they'll sho through.

[P5BNij]

Many thanks, all duly noted

[Yertis]

mgtony said:

Also bought a Tacwise stapler kit with type 53 staples which will take a 4mm staple. Once you have a thick covering,bit of padding or a couple of folds the 4mm staples are ok. Straight on the 3mm board with only a fabric cover, they'll sho through.

I was going to ask about the staples, and how well the foamex gripped them.

[mgtony]

Staples hold okay but I did use spray adhesive as well. On corners where I had lots of folded layers I used a 5mm staple.
The board comes with a protective film layer, so to spray the adhesive on the back only around the edge where the fabric wrapped, I cut through the film about 15mm all round and removed just that bit. Sprayed glue then removed the rest of the film leaving it clean on the rest of the panel.